September 8th
Director's Note
By now most of our nation's teenagers are back to school and with that a wave of new freshman eager to join a sports t

September 8th

Director's Note

By now most of our nation's teenagers are back to school and with that a wave of new freshman eager to join a sports team – why not mountain biking? We have dozens of teams gearing up for fall races in just over a week, and many others in other regions just starting to plan out their spring seasons. It's an exciting time for NICA student-athletes!

Like all school sports, mountain bike teams depend on the many volunteers who step up and get involved. We are always striving to best help team directors orchestrate the time and energy that assistant coaches and other volunteers have to offer. Based on feedback and frequent questions, we've created a new tool call the Team Starter Kit to help aspiring and returning team directors get things rolling at their local school.

We want to wish all of our team directors, coaches and other team support volunteers the best of luck in their 2011/2012 season.

And we want to wish all of our returning student-athletes their very best season, both on the trail and in the classroom!

Matt Fritzinger
NICA Director

Get Rolling at Your School

Whether your team is returning, or you are forming a brand new one, now is a great time to bolster the efforts!

NICA has put together a Team Starter Kit to help new and returning teams build their high school mountain bike programs. It contains a step-by-step guide along with wiki-style drop downs with more information and resources. New resources include easy to use recruitment posters, tips for getting media attention, letters for raising leader's summit fees, and a power point to use in meetings with administrators. We thank you for your feedback and continued suggestions!

Leaders' Summits for All Adult Volunteers

Each year, NICA Leagues host coaches' conferences called Leaders' Summits to bring together new and experienced coaches for a weekend of skills development, educational seminars, sharing strategies, and building community.

These summits are an integral part of developing the skills and resources to make coaching a high school mountain bike team successful. Not only do participants learn from the experienced presenters, but getting together with other coaches to collaborate on ideas has proved invaluable to past attendees.

One day of the weekend summit consists primarily of classroom seminars. Topics range from Race Day: Structure, Support & Success to Tips for Coaching Girls to Getting a “Yes” with School Administrators.

The other day includes MTB 101, a mountain bike skills clinic that combines classroom time with on-the-bike work to help individuals learn a broad range of skills and how to teach those skills to beginners.

Individuals interested in attending their League's Leaders' Summit should check the NICA Calendar for dates and links. The summits are open to any adults from all 50 states (as space permits) looking to forming and/or getting involved with their local high school mountain bike club.

Back-to-School, Back-to-Riding Facebook Sweepstakes

In the NICA community “back-to-school” means replacing that worn-out drivetrain, restocking inner tubes and ride food, or installing new cables and housing. Back-to-school is the time to solidify your stock of bike goodies to prepare for the real riding season.

That’s why NICA is proud to announce the Back-to-School, Back-to-Riding Sweepstakes with a grand prize filled with all the back-to-riding essentials: a Camelbak M.U.L.E., a Genuine Innovations CO2 pump, a box of Clif Bars, a GU Energy Sampler pack, NICA socks, and two NICA water bottles. Win the food and gear to get your season started right!

To enter, go to the NICA Facebook page, “like” our page, and click on the Back-to-School Sweepstakes tab. Fill in some basic information (name, email, and state) and you will be eligible for one of 4 prize packages! Be sure to tell your friends by posting on your own wall with the “Share” button underneath the picture.

CLIF Bar Meet the Moment Campaign

The CLIF Bar Meet the Moment campaign is a celebration of athletic adventures and the places they happen. From now until October 1st, go to www.MeettheMoment.com and upload an inspiring photo of your moment and story.

When you upload your first moment, CLIF Bar will donate $5 to one of five non-profits in your name. These non-profits – International Mountain Bike Association, Leave No Trace, Surfrider Foundation, Access Fund and Winter Wildlands Alliance – were chosen for their focus on protecting and preserving the places where people Meet the Moment.

In addition to supporting the organizations that are important to you, your moment can be used to inspire your peers to experience their own moments through mountain biking. Print out your personalized postcard with your moment and give them to your friends. The postcards are a perfect way to show off the inspiring experiences and adventures of high school mountain biking and grow your school’s team!